Francisco Alvarez (C - NYM) - Alvarez is back with the Mets, getting the start on Monday against the Angels and going 1-2 with a double and a pair of walks in the 7-5 win. Hamate bone breaks can often sap a player's power, but Alvarez absolutely tore up AAA on his rehab assignment, hitting 11 homers in just 21 games. The 23 year old has well above average power and roughly average strike zone discipline, but the contact ability is very questionable. Still, the potential here is enormous for a backstop, and I love the idea of his hot streak carrying over to the big league level. I think that he's worth a pickup anywhere that he's available right now. The walk rate is great, the power/exit velocity is great, and you just hope he can make enough contact to let those things carry the load.
Drake Baldwin (C - ATL) - The more I watch Drake Baldwin, the more I'm impressed. The 24 year old was 3-5 with 2 2Bs and 6 RBIs on Monday against the Giants, and he's now hitting 290/358/488 on the year, giving the Braves two top-10 catchers offensively at this point. The exit velocity and contact rate are both well above average, and the plate discipline is a bit better than average as well. If he ever figures out how to hit the ball on the ground less than 50% of the time, look out. Every bit of this rookie season looks legitimate.
Brady House (3B - WAS) - House was 3-4 with a 2B and a SB on Monday in the 10-8 victory over Cincy, and the 22 year old is now hitting 327/340/500 in July. The exit velocity is above average and there's some speed here: the main issue is the contact ability and pitch recognition. I expect the AVG to be a bit suspect, and the OBP will likely be pretty awful to be perfectly honest, but the power/speed combo is interesting, and as I mentioned he's just 22 years of age. He should be rostered in deeper formats and obviously in dynasty leagues, but I think it's still a bit optimistic to expect him to provide consistent value in standard formats.
Brandon Woodruff (P - MIL) - Woodruff held the M's to 2 singles and a HBP over 6 innings on Monday, striking out 5 in just 62 pitches. He hit 96 mph with his fastball, and he now has a 0:23 BB:K ratio through 2 starts. The quality of contact hasn't been great, the pitch count restrictions are very strict, and the 6-man rotation the Brewers are using is limiting his utility. Still, he looks great again, and even if he's been lucky it's hard not to expect him to be a positive right now in any format. He's been able to post comparable swinging strike rates to the rest of his career thus far without the same consistent velocity, which is a great sign, and the control has been absolutely stellar.
Ramon Laureano (OF - BAL) - Laureano singled and homered on Monday, knocking in 4 runs in the 10-5 loss to Cleveland. After looking like he was on the verge of losing his spot in the majors for much of the past 3 years, Laureano has really been excellent this season, cutting his chase rate by over 7% to a career low. When he has been at his best, Laureano has been a very patient hitter, but that's an approach that he's gotten far away from at times over the past few seasons. He had a brilliant May and June for the O's, and despite the young OF depth that they have, he's been able to carve out an everyday role for himself at age 31. This is still an average power/below average contact/average speed profile, so he's getting about as much out of it as he can, but he's certainly been productive enough since May to warrant a starting OF spot in all formats.
